Gidget Eats

La Boulangerie

Chocolate Almond Croissant

How most girls feel about designer shoe boutiques is how I feel about bakeries.

I gawk at the artistry, I’m enchanted by the selection and it’s hard to settle on a single item. There should be a fifth member of the Sex and the City crew who’s a foodie searching out places like the Big Gay Ice Cream and Prune for the best eats in NYC. In stilettos no less.

On this dreadful Monday I would give a pair of Jimmy Choos for a Chocolate Almond Croissant and cappuccino. I’ve been fantasizing about La Boulangerie.

La Boulangerie is a french bakery located Uptown in the heart of Magazine street among trendy, quirky shops. A welcome respite from Creole and Cajun food (although not necessarily lighter) they offer sandwiches, breads, soup, quiche, coffee and of course, pastries.

During our annual New Orleans trip, despite having eaten a continental breakfast at Avenue Inn, my mom and I fueled up for a day of shopping with a snack at La Boulangerie. Stumbling upon it’s pretty gold and blue awning, we popped in and took our place in line. Pouncing on an open table, I sat while my mom ordered so I have no opinion about the service.

We split a Chocolate Almond Croissant and I soaked up each bite accompanied by sips of a single shot cappuccino. The croissant was filled with sweet almond paste and chocolate, which I would have preferred more of, but then again who doesn’t like more chocolate. The substantial pastry was tender, flaky and strewn with almond slices.

Much like Sucre and other area bakeries, they offer special King Cakes during Mardi Gras season, both a traditional and French version. I was tempted to buy one, but the thought of lugging around a cake box and then five extra pounds post-consumption was a strong deterrent. Needless to say, everything looks and smells heavenly.

I believe La Boulangerie now accepts credit cards and cash, but I didn’t pay for this round. Get there early because like a secret sample sale, the good stuff runs out fast.

Don’t just take my word for it, New Orleans food bloggers Foodographer and The Hungry Nomad have also written about their experiences, in addition to the Cynical Cook. If you liked this post, read more of my Restaurant Stories.

La Boulangerie
4600 Magazine Street
New Orleans, LA 70115
Phone 504-269-3777

Got My Country On

Rears, cowboys and wranglers is romance at it’s best. Even if the rears belong to livestock.

In honor of Valentine’s day, my husband and I went to the Dixie National Rodeo last Friday night. Yes, I wanted to go to the rodeo and no, I’ve never been before.

We explored…stables holding cows, horses and goats being vacuumed (grooming?) and had such shiny, soft coats.

We ate…once we entered the coliseum which was a serious misstep. There were fair food stands open outside and next to nothing inside, our options were gloppy pizza, limp foiled wrapped hamburgers and popcorn saltier than the Gulf of Mexico.

We watched…a long welcome presentation, a blonde woman singing karaoke songs, a progression of six American flags throughout history, the national anthem, a prayer, pyrotechnics and then a parade of politicians riding horses.

We learned…that this was an actual competition and now just a show. Okay, so I was surprised to discover these events were scored by judges and they had strict parameters such as – in bronc riding the riders can only use one hand and they needed to hold on for eight seconds.

We sang…up close and personal along with Chris Cagle, well, I did for the two songs I actually knew.

We held out…until the very end, three hours later for the bull riding grand finale.

For Valentine’s day I Got My Country On.

Crackberry

Crackberry

Valentine’s eve is upon us. It’s cold, rainy and all I can think of is Pinkberry. Or as it’s known on the streets, Crackberry.

Pinkberry has no need for one more iota of press or undying confession of admiration. It probably scoffs at my undeterred crush.

For whatever reason I haven’t researched more thoroughly yet, I feel as though their frozen yogurt is a superior quality and if they would let me, I’d position myself with an unhinged jaw directly under the pineapple/coconut flavor levers. One shining difference between them and other mainstream froyo places is that you buy a size and then have the opportunity to fill the space with any of the available toppings (versus paying per ounce). I made my mom eat their glorious frozen yogurt with all the toppings the container could hold twice in one day.

The nearest Pinkberry is in New Orleans or Birmingham and I haven’t decided whether that’s actually a good thing or not. Right now, not. To get your Pinkberry fix, there are two locations in New Orleans – one near the French Quarter on Canal and one on Magazine in the Garden District/Uptown.

Pinkberry
French Quarter
300 Canal Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
Phone 504-899-4260
http://www.pinkberry.com

Uptown
5601 Magazine Street
New Orleans, LA 7011
Phone 504-899-4260

Super Bowl Party Apple Pie Throw Down

Super Bowl Party Apple Pie Throw Down

Move over New England Patriots.

As it turns out, I didn’t win the $1000 catered Super Bowl party. I didn’t win the office NFL play-off bracket. And, I didn’t win the Apple Pie Thrown Down contest. In light of recent events, I also put off dashing over to Louisiana in hopes of securing my retirement by purchasing fistfuls of lottery tickets.

Nevertheless everything worked out for the best, as life often does.

Prior to this whole Super Bowl contest rigamarole, we had no intentions of hosting a party (unless we won). When my name was not announced Saturday evening, I dodged a fury of last minute cleaning and begging friends to come over who already had plans. No matter, because Friday morning as I reached for the door knob about to leave for work, my husband dashed to the bathroom and threw up. Our weekend was spent recovering on the couch.

Determined to bounce back from defeat, much like Tiquan Underwood after the Patriots cut him the day before the Super Bowl, I refocused my energy on the Apple Pie Throw Down.

Awhile back a friend made a grand sweeping statement, that a particular store bought apple pie was better than any homemade pie she’s ever had. Pshaw. Taking this bold proclamation in stride, another friend and I challenged her to a pie tasting contest. In conjunction with our work Super Bowl party (where we announced the winner of the bracket contest -  not me), we held our apple pie throw down.

Yesterday we lined up the two homemade pies next to a store bought version, insisted our co-workers sample each one and vote for their favorite (disregarding presentation).

At the end of the day we peeled back the ballot and to my dismay, the store bought pie had won! It was baked with aspartame, my crust included real butter. What a bust.

Befuddled by three consecutive losses, I reminded myself that it’s not whether you win or lose but rather how you play the game. Tiquan is a Patriot again and there’s always next time.

When life gives you lemons…squeeze a little in some apple filling, top your pie with ice cream and call it a day.

Dish Tease: Beatty Street Grocery

$5 Meal Deal

Please help me win a Super Bowl contest! Read more about it or click here to vote! (I’m the first one listed.) Thank you for reading.

Acutely recognizing my weariness from a tiresome week, one Friday my husband eagerly took it upon himself to take care of dinner. He was just looking for a reason to get to Beatty Street Grocery. I was all for it.

Unfamiliar with Beatty Street Grocery, I was surprised to learn of it’s history and tenure as a downtown Jackson establishment for 72 years. In addition to being a convenience store, they also serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.

We each got their version of a meal deal which is an eight ounce hamburger, french fries and a drink for $5. That’s crazy cheap.

Now, it might not be the best burger ever but it was filling, large and solid – so much so that I wonder how they can afford to have such low prices. The burger had all the tradition fillings of lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and mustard. The french fries are the standard, previously frozen variety but I have a soft spot in my heart for crinkle cuts. They also offer a four ounce version of the burger, which I will be selecting next time. I couldn’t finish the eight ounce so my husband polished it off for me.

He brought home take-out but insists we return because visiting the physical location is part of the experience. Despite varied opinions on the internet, I will try it for myself and always am in favor of supporting local, long time restaurants. Lastly, leave your checks or plastic at home because they only accept cash.

Learn more about Beatty Street Grocery:

Beatty Street Grocery needs help staying financially afloat: WLBT

A Lunch Visit to Beatty Street Grocery: Eat Jackson

Beatty Street Grocery
101 Beatty Street
Jackson, MS 39201
Phone 601-355-0514